Onyx didn't remember when she woke up. Memories of her eyes fluttering open or the strained groan that left her lips disappeared from her mind as she stirred awake.

She didn't even remember how or when she got back into the quiet comfort of her hut. All she remembered were the worried eyes Lucien and Rheynoak staring down at her, sparkling underneath the darling sun.

"Onyx." Rheynoak seemed to breathe her name once as the Siphon fully opened her eyes, frowning at a headache that pounded in her skull and the pain that rattled her bones. Her throat was dry from screaming, her voice barely a whisper when she uttered back, "I'm alive."

"You're alive" the tribe leader repeated the words, reaching forward to tuck a strand of misplaced hair behind her ears. She shuddered at his touch, her gaze moving over to Lucien who simply bowed his head, blue eyes glaring at her from underneath his thick lashes.

Smiling at her love, the Mind Siphon sighed, finally breathing in the fine, crisp air that blew through the window. It filled her lungs with an intoxicating feeling as if she'd finally realized what a treasure life truly was. Tears glistened in her eyes, her fingers shaking as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I-I'm alive" she repeated again, the only words that seemed to fall out of her lips. Her lips struggled to smile, the beating pulse of her heart smashing against the bones of her ribcage. Her mind was turning and tossing, scattered everywhere that she did not realize the warm comfort of the tribe leader's arms around her waist.

She did not even process when he slid his hands up her waist and cupped her face, pulling her into his chest. The brief waft of his scent hit her nose, burning wood and fresh pine forest before she was engulfed in the feverish, long kiss he placed on her lips.

Not knowing what else to do, she cupped his face in her hands tracing the outline of his jaw as she kissed him deeply. Her blood started to sizzle, her cheeks burning bright and her heart aching despite the mess her head was in. Sparks lit her up, the feeling of his arms around her calming.

"I've missed you with each passing second" Rheynoak expressed against her lips as they parted, their forehead meeting. His voice cracked within his own words, his fingers stroking her shoulder gently. Softly, he placed a kiss on her forehead, holding her tightly.

Onyx could only sob, cupping his face again. "I'm happy to be back" she uttered, licking her chapped lips. "I'm happy to be here with you." A smile twitched at the tribe leader's lips, a happy sigh escaping his mouth.

The two stayed entangled within each other for a bit longer, the Mind Siphon gathering her breaths in shallow sighs. Shaky hands clutched onto the collar of his shirt, her watery eyes lingering over to his right-hand man who sat silently on her bed, a charismatic smile on her face.

"How long was I out?" Onyx asked as they pulled away, his thumb stroking her cheek. Rheynoak hesitated to answer, shaking his head as she questioned him with a glare.

"That doesn't matter, Onyx. All that matters is that you're safe" he replied instead, shaking his head. Still, the Mind Siphon pushed, squeezing his shoulders. "I appreciate your concern. I really do but I need to know how long I was out, what happened in order to really cure myself."

Silence hung between the lovers, the tribe leader unable to bring himself to answer her question. Luckily for both of them, Lucien didn't mind, answering with no hesitation, "Almost an entire day. We were beginning to think the black magic did not work."

As if finally realizing he was there, the Siphon broke away from Rheynoak's protective hold on her, crawling over to the Hell Siphon who embraced her in a welcoming hug. His strong arms encircled around her back, crushing her body into his chest.

"And here I was thinking I was the third wheel," the Hell Siphon said between laughter, wincing when her nails dug into the thick interior of his layered cloak. "You seem to become stronger as you get weaker" he exclaimed when they pulled apart, his blue eyes sparkling at her.

Onyx mustered a laugh despite wanting to ask the one question that mattered to her the most. Lucien seemed to understand, bracing his hands on her shoulders as he inspected her gaze, seeing the worry laced behind her gaze. "You can ask, Onyx. I won't hesitate to answer."

"How is she? Is she okay?" Salty tears flood her eyes, her words choked back on the sobs that wrenched out her lips. "She hasn't been handling your illness well but I can assure you, she will be very happy to see you awake and alive."

The Mind Siphon nodded, holding back on her tears as she embraced him once again. "Thank you for always looking out for her."

"My pleasure."

After ten minutes have passed by and Onyx had finally regained control of herself and wiped the tears away from her eyes, she settled into her bed, taking deep breaths in and out. Rheynoak's fingers were intertwined with hers, Lucien sitting beside her, his hand on her back for support.

"Do you remember anything? Any vivid detail?" Rheynoak asked, squeezing her hands. Her throat went dry, the words she wanted to say dying to spill from the tip of her tongue. Every muscle in her restrained from doing so, knowing the results would catastrophic if she did.

"It's all a blur" she spat out, clearing her throat. "One minute I was dancing, having fun and then the next minute I was bleeding and dying..." Her words died on the tip of her tongue, reminiscing on the horrible events that lead up to her temporary death.

Tears welled up in her eyes, big ones that streaked down her face. She wiped them away before Rheynoak could get to them, letting her thoughts swim around. "I remember being trapped in a dark place. Cold and unpleasant. It was as if I was alive but still dead."

"You were on the cusp, between the afterlife and life" Lucien informed her, scooting closer to her. The tribe leader nodded, watching with wary eyes as his right-hand man gently squeezed the siphon's fingers. "Your soul was probably not ready to go into the afterlife. Your destiny is not accomplished and you have pure, good intentions."

"I am not pure," the Siphon said between chuckles, shaking her head. "I am far, far away from being pure." Lucien laughed with her, nodding his head. "Then why aren't you dead, Onyx? Why are you still here if you are not pure?"

The question lingered in the Siphon's mind, drawing nothing but blank conclusions even after pondering on it for so many years. "I don't know" she concluded, sighing deeply. "My mind is blank, drawing up nothing but empty solutions. All I know is that I don't want to return back to that darkness."

"And you won't" the tribe leader reassured her, shooing his right-hand man's hand away. Warm fingers replaced them, curling around the Mind Siphon's shaking fingers and giving them a reassuring squeeze. The Mind Siphon did her best to smile back, pure bitterness and confusion still clouding her conscience.

"You were too close to death this time Onyx and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse the more time passes by. We tried everything we could. Black magic, spells, tighter security, and restrictions. Everything but you were still dying." The tribe leader sighed, using his free hand to threat through his thick, dark hair. "And while I know you usually hate restrictions, this specific one is for your own safety."

The Siphon only listened, her feet crossed as she listened intensely. "What are you suggesting?" she asked, her voice flat and uneven. Another sigh escaped Rheynoak's lips, seeing the hesitation in his eyes and hearing the unsteady, rhythmic beat of his heart.

"You are no longer allowed outside the gates of this tribe. The inside perimeters should be your home and you cannot be escorted to any facility here without some sort of guard. I will personally assign who should be our guard and make sure that he or she keep you safe at all times and protects you from harm."

"That's absurd, Rheynoak!" the Siphon hissed, snatching her hand away from his grip. "You can't fence me in like I am some sort of animal. That will only make the situation worst!" Rheynoak sighed in frustration, crushing his fingers together in a fist. "This is about your safety, Onyx! Look what happened! You died! Fucking died right in front of my eyes! It's a miracle that you are still alive!"

Onyx scuffed, standing up in frustration. Her arms were crossed over her chest, emerald ringed eyes narrowed into haunting gazes that seem to freeze the tribe leader in his place. "You can not keep me imprisoned like I'm some sort of property you own" she threatened in a monotone voice. "I don't even know what I am anymore Rheynoak! Ever since the oath, my powers have been a mystery to me as they are to everyone else. I can control things, possess things I didn't even think were possible before and here you are, suppressing me of my freedom to actually find the answers to questions I've been asking myself!"

"This isn't a negotiation, Onyx. You're to stay on the grounds of this desert at all time" hissed Rheynoak, cutting her off before she could spew any more guilt in his stomach. "No more missions, minimal training and absolutely no more toying with any sort of magic."

Anger flushed through her cheeks, coloring her red with anger as her nails pierced through her skin, the pain barely affecting her. Little blood drew from her wounds, her desperate eyes switching to Lucien who had been silent the entire time. She opened her mouth to question him but one look in his eyes and her confidence vanished. The Hell Siphon frowned, simply shaking his head and turning his attention back to the ground.

Her heart faltered. No one was in her corner.

"You're insane, Rheynoak" Onyx growled, inhaling deeply. "Absolutely fucking insane."

The tribe leader only laughed in her face, a low, haunting noise that filled her to the brim with a fire she wanted to unleash upon him. He took a few steps towards her, reaching out so that his fingers would brush against her arm.

Every muscle, every drop of magic within her stilled as they met face to face, his nose brushing against hers. "What you possess is dangerous, Onyx. The magic you have in your veins should have been gone a million years ago but it's not. I am doing what I can to protect you. Whether you like it or not."

"And I don't need your protection or looming shadow to keep me from danger" Onyx growled back, pushing him away from her. She ran her fingers through her hair, huffing as she pushed through both Hell Siphons and towards the slightly closed door. "If you haven't noticed, I'm surrounded by danger. I am danger. And there is nothing you can do to stop that."

Time seemed to be nothing but a ticking bomb, the sun shining its delicate, bright rays on the orange sands of the desert as the Siphon strolled around, her fingers tight around the gold reins.

Aithne kept a slow and steady pace, neighing softly as they strolled under the huge sand dunes that rose from the ground up, a statue and one of the highest points in the desert. Onyx hummed a quiet tune to herself to suppress the anger and nausea that turned in her stomach, shaking her head.

Memories of her argument with Rheynoak flickered in her mind, hearing the words he uttered to her scraping he fragile walls of her mind until they did nothing but bleed.

"You are no longer allowed outside the gates of this tribe."

"This isn't a negotiation, Onyx."

"What you possess is dangerous, Onyx. The magic you have in your veins should have been gone a million years ago but it's not."

Even replaying them in her mind was enough for her to pull harshly on the golden reins, stopping Aithne in the process. The horse whined, passing her scolding look, her golden eyes pooling. "Sorry, baby" the Siphon whispered, pulling herself off the seat of the horse and landing solidly on the desert floor.

They were in the shades of one of the sand dunes, surrounded by jagged rocks and stones, the siphon resting on a bed of stones and sand. Her legs were crossed, her hands pulling on the reins until the horse had also kneeled down by her side, resting its midnight blue head on her lap.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Ainthe. I don't know who I am anymore or where I come from" she whispered, stroking the creature's luxurious mane. "I have no home, no family, no future. It's like I'm doomed to be wandering the grounds of the desert with Rheynoak until my dying days."

Ainthe neighed suspiciously, passing her another questioning glare to which the Siphon laughed at. "I know what you are thinking. That Rheynoak is my soulmate. That we are destined to be, that the stars aligned at the perfect time. But honestly, all I see is dark skies, full dark no stars. We are a couple made from destruction and soon enough, we will be poisonous to one another.

"Don't get me wrong. Everything is great now. He's great, the sex is great. But I can't help but feel like he's going to crush my heart into millions of pieces soon enough. And I will cry when that happens, even though I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to be his."

Silence surrounded them, not even the neighs of Ainthe or the rhythmic tap of stones skipping across the sand. Everything seemed to stand still, time even as Onyx swam through her deep depths thoughts, finding herself drowning rather than rising to the surface.

She was too lost in her thought, too confused to realize the crunch of shoes against sand and the tall stature of Lucien approaching her in the dirt mist that surrounded the desert. She didn't even realize that he was calling out to her softly, quietly.

It was only when his cold fingers landed on her shoulders did she emerge from her thoughts. "Lucien, have you ever heard of knocking?" Onyx joked, toying with the reins in her hands. "I did but no one answered. Although the slightly reeked door seemed like an invitation."

A laugh escaped her lips, followed by a sniffle. "I hope you don't mind but I bought some guests" he introduced, beckoning to the two figures emerging from the cloudy mist. In their training clothes, drenched in sweat was Venix and Alesandria, both of their words strapped to their hips.

Venix took a breath when her eyes landed on Onyx, her hands flying to her mouth while Alesandria managed to wipe a few tears from her eyes. "Oh my god, Onyx!" Within the blink of an eye, the Mind Siphon found herself wrapping her arms around her best friend, embracing her so tightly, both of them couldn't breathe.

The BloodBone let out a few tears, three at least before they pulled apart, wiping her face with her hands. "Lucien informed us as soon as you awoke" she informed, passing a grateful look to the Hell Siphon. "I didn't think he was serious but now...my god now, I'm holding you and it feels too surreal."

"Trust me, it feels weird to be alive again" the Mind Siphon informed, squeezing her friend's hand again. The two shared another hug before Alesandria embraced her, squeezing her hand. "Happy to have you back, Onyx. Venix nearly slaughtered me numerous of times while you were dwindling away in purgatory."

"I only attempted to kill you twice. That hardly counts" the witch defended herself. All three of them laughed, happiness and tears flowing freely as they embraced her return to the living, hoping to the gods and stars that death wouldn't be right around the corner.

When everything had settled down and the laughter and smiles had disappeared, all five of them were seated on the hard grounds, in the shade where Onyx turned to Lucien, her lips twisted into a frown.

"You're allowing this?" she asked him, raising her brows. "You're allowing him to keep me imprisoned?" The Hell Siphon sighed, running his fingers through his long hair. "I want to help, Onyx. I truly do. But you know my rights are very little and limited around here. Anything I say would be ignored and burned and thrown in the trash by the end of the day."

"I thought you and Rheynoak have been on different pages ever since the oath" Alesandria chimed in, crossing her arms over her chest. "Things definitely don't seem as friendly between you two as they were before."

"Things were never friendly between us despite the use of the word" the Hell Siphon retorted back in a harsh tone, shaking his head. "You know, I'm older than Rheynoak. Eight hundred and sixty-two years old to be exact while he is only a mere six hundred and fifty. I've always been older than him yet I let him drag me around like a toy. Let him control me, force me into the shadows, make decisions for me, lie to me while he took all the credit for my work. And sometimes, I thought he was doing it for my safety with everything we've gone through. With how many times he's saved my ass."

A sarcastic laugh escaped his lips, followed by a sigh. "But turns out, he's only been protecting himself. After the lies and secrets I've uncovered even before the oath, my trust in him has been fractured, broken. And it's one step away from being completely shattered."

"What's the difference between something being broken and something being shattered?" Venix asked, raising her brows. Her fingers stroked the midnight blue horse, dancing in between its mane. Lucien turned over to her, his blue eyes stealing her attention. "When something is broken, you can at least try to fix it."

"And when something is shattered, it's cursed to stay that way. Forced to be shattered into a million pieces" Onyx continued, shaking her head. "There is no fixing that, no turning back. And no matter how many times you try to grasp all the pieces together to fix everything, they always end up in the air at the end of the day."

"I wish I could piece myself back together but I can't" Onyx admitted, shaking her head. She uncrossed her legs, bringing her knees to her chin where she rested her head. "Ever since the oath, something within me has been unleashed. All of a sudden, I'm a vulnerable, submissive, weak bitch that lets herself be controlled by a man she's not sure she wants to be with anymore."

This time, Alesandria raised her brows, casting a wary gaze to the Mind Siphon. "You don't love Rheynoak, anymore?" she asked, scowling. "You two seemed to be soulmates."

"I'm not wired to have a soulmate if you haven't noticed" the Siphon replied back sharply, crushing her fingers into quivering fists. "Besides, I know he is keeping secrets from me. That is no lie. And I have a few secrets of my own that I am keeping from him. And yes, I love him in my own way but we are two different people from two different worlds. Maybe, a few months ago, we seemed perfect for each other. And I didn't doubt him a few months ago but this past week, I've been questioning him. Especially since Draco has arrived."

She shook her head, letting go of the golden reins. "Everything is so different and I don't know what to do."

Silence reigned between all five of them, Aithne beginning to slumber on her master's lap. Venix rested her head on Onyx's shoulder, wrapping her arm around her shoulder to comfort her while Lucien squinted his eyes to look into the distance, tilting his head.

"Venix and I broke into Rheynoak's office last night" he confessed, earning himself a cold glare from the witch. Onyx looked up, raising her brows in questioning but he kept on talking. "We found pictures, things that link to all of us in some way."

"And he's definitely hiding something" Venix chimed in in his defense, nodding. "Things he doesn't want to reveal to the rest of us, whether in fear or in power." Suddenly, the Hell Siphon turned his head over to the Mind Siphon, glancing quickly at her.

"I'll help" he uttered, shrugging. "We'll all help you uncover the truth. Solyerian is right around the corner and this year, Rheynoak will be the host. Knowing how the celebration goes, nothing marks a true Solyerian celebration than the reveal of dark secrets and causing epic chaos."

"And we'll definitely make sure, some chaos stirs, dear Onyx" the BloodBone whispered to her best friend. The Siphon smiled, clutching onto her best friend's arm. "The offer is sweet and tempting," she said, curling her fingers into soft flesh. "But besides finding out how incredibly old you both are, what's in it for all of us?"

Alesandria spoke, twirling her hair behind her ear. "I get to finally embrace who I am, what I am, and rebuild the kingdom that was left for me."

"I get satisfactory that my life is worth more than failures and tragedies. That I was carved and burned and birthed into this world for a reason" the Witch uttered, resting her head against her friend's shoulder.

"And I get the justice I need, the truth I need that he has been hiding. Proving to myself that I was more than a fool parading around on his orders, toes and heels like I was his bitch" Lucien whispered, his blue eyes never leaving the golden orbs of the Siphon.

"What do you say, Siphon?"

Onyx pondered on the limited options she had, knowing running to tell her lover would prove nothing but uselessness as he already saw her as nothing but a resting corpse. And she knew, deep down in that heart of his that his intentions were good and pure. That his heart was clean and filled with nothing but remorse.

That he was just another one of the world's failed projects.

Yet her future, the truth outweighed her love for him, feeling the slick lick of the power running through her veins giving her the answer that ringed throughout her entire body, her veins growing a vibrant blue just at the thought of it.

"Count me in" Onyx whispered, gazing down at her glowing veins. "It's time I know who and what I truly am." 

A/N: And that is the end of Chapter Nine!

Heartbreak city and secrets, here we come!

I'm not dialing much on the first part of The Septic Curse. There are so many things to be revealed especially now that Solyerian is coming into play. Trust me, so many things get revealed under that specific celebration. It's crazy but it's what makes the drama!

And as we all know, the drama never runs short in this series!

So tell me what you guys thought of this chapter. Any specific scenes you liked! Any conspiracies? I would love to hear them!

Thank you guys for all your constant support. It means so much to me that you enjoy this book. I enjoy writing it and to hear your feedback always makes my day!

So tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter and don't forget to comment down below and vote if you liked it.

Until next time Lovelies!

With love, May